Radio communication apparatus, radio communication method, computer-readable medium, slave device, and master device

Abstract

In CE 4 , a communication terminal transmits data including a latency_off value “1”. After receiving the data, an environment information measuring apparatus transmits data since a latency counter value is “0”. The latency counter value becomes “2” and a latency_off counter value becomes “1”. In CE 5 , the communication terminal transmits data including a latency_off value “0”. Since each of the latency counter value and the latency_off counter value is not “0”, the environment information measuring apparatus does not receive the data from the communication terminal. The latency counter value becomes “1” and the latency_off counter value becomes “0”. In CE 6 , since the latency_off counter value is “0”, the environment information measuring apparatus receives the data from the communication terminal.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A radio communication apparatus configured to perform radio communication with a radio communication apparatus of a communication partner, comprising:
 a communication unit configured to:
 receive data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner; and 
 transmit data to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner based on the received data; and 
 
 a control unit configured to:
 limit reception of data until a number of times of transmission of the data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches a number of times of limitation of reception of data; 
 set a specific number of times which is indicated by specific information included in the received data and which is smaller than the number of times of limitation; and 
 release the limitation of the reception of data when the number of times of transmission of the data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches the specific number of times, 
 
 wherein after the limitation is released, the control unit determines, based on the received data, whether a data transmission condition to transmit data to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner is satisfied, and 
 wherein when it is determined that the data transmission condition is satisfied, the communication unit transmits the data to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner. 
 
     
     
       2. A radio communication apparatus configured to perform radio communication with a radio communication apparatus of a communication partner, comprising:
 a communication unit configured to intermittently transmit, to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner, data including specific information indicating a specific number of times smaller than a number of times of limitation; and 
 a control unit configured to release limitation of reception of the data when a number of times that reception of the data intermittently transmitted from the communication unit is limited by the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches the specific number of times indicated by the specific information included in the received data, 
 wherein the number of times of limitation is the number of times that the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner limits reception of the data intermittently transmitted from the communication unit, 
 wherein the control unit determines whether a change condition to change the specific number of times is satisfied when the data is intermittently transmitted, and 
 wherein when it is determined that the change condition is satisfied, the specific information is changed into specific information indicating the specific number of times changed for a predetermined number, and the communication unit transmits data including the changed specific information. 
 
     
     
       3. The radio communication apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the control unit determines whether a first change condition to reduce the specific number of times is satisfied as the change condition and determines whether a second change condition to increase the specific number of times is satisfied as the change condition, and
 wherein when it is determined that the first change condition is satisfied, the specific information is changed into specific information indicating the specific number of times after a predetermined number is reduced, and when it is determined that the second change condition is satisfied, the specific information is changed into specific information indicating the specific number of times after a predetermined number is increased. 
 
     
     
       4. A radio communication method of performing radio communication with a radio communication apparatus of a communication partner, comprising:
 receiving data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner; 
 transmitting data to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner based on the received data; 
 limiting reception of data until a number of times of transmission of the data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches a number of times of limitation of reception of data; 
 setting a specific number of times which is indicated by specific information included in the received data and which is smaller than the number of times of limitation; and 
 releasing the limitation of the reception of data when the number of times of transmission of the data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches the specific number of times, 
 wherein after the limitation is released, it is determined, based on the received data, whether a data transmission condition to transmit data to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner is satisfied, and 
 wherein when it is determined that the data transmission condition is satisfied, data is transmitted to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner. 
 
     
     
       5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon which is executable to control a computer configured to perform radio communication with a radio communication apparatus of a communication partner to perform functions comprising:
 data reception processing to receive data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner, 
 data transmission processing to transmit data to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner based on the data received in the data reception processing, 
 reception limiting processing to limit reception of data in the data reception processing until a number of times of transmission of the data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches a number of times of limitation of reception of data, 
 setting processing to set a specific number of times which is indicated by specific information included in the data received in the data reception processing and which is smaller than the number of times of limitation, 
 limitation releasing processing to release the limitation by the reception limiting processing when the number of times of transmission of the data intermittently transmitted from the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches the specific number of times, 
 after the limitation is released, determination processing to determine, based on the data received in the data reception processing, whether a data transmission condition to transmit data to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner is satisfied, and 
 when it is determined that the data transmission condition is satisfied, transmission processing to transmit data to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner. 
 
     
     
       6. A slave device configured to perform radio communication with a master device, comprising:
 a communication unit configured to receive data intermittently transmitted from the master device and to transmit data to the master device based on the received data, 
 wherein reception of data is limited until a number of times of transmission of the data intermittently transmitted from the master device reaches a number of times of limitation of reception of the data, 
 wherein a specific number of times which is indicated by specific information included in the data received by the communication unit and which is smaller than the number of times of limitation is set, 
 wherein the limitation is released when the number of times of transmission of the data intermittently transmitted from the master device reaches the specific number of times, 
 wherein after the limitation is released, it is determined, based on the received data, whether a data transmission condition to transmit data to the master device is satisfied, and 
 wherein when it is determined that the data transmission condition is satisfied, the communication unit transmits the data to the master device. 
 
     
     
       7. A radio communication method of performing radio communication with a radio communication apparatus of a communication partner, comprising:
 intermittently transmitting, to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner, data including specific information indicating a specific number of times smaller than a number of times of limitation; and 
 releasing limitation of reception of the data when a number of times that reception of the data intermittently transmitted is limited by the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches the specific number of times indicated by the specific information included in the received data, 
 wherein the number of times of limitation is the number of times that the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner limits reception of the data intermittently transmitted from the communication unit, 
 wherein it is determined whether a change condition to change the specific number of times is satisfied when the data is intermittently transmitted, and 
 wherein when it is determined that the change condition is satisfied, the specific information is changed into specific information indicating the specific number of times changed for a predetermined number, and data including the changed specific information is transmitted. 
 
     
     
       8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon which is executable to control a computer configured to perform radio communication with a radio communication apparatus of a communication partner to perform functions comprising:
 data transmitting processing to intermittently transmit, to the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner, data including specific information indicating a specific number of times smaller than a number of times of limitation; and 
 data reception processing to release limitation of reception of the data when a number of times that reception of the data intermittently transmitted is limited by the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner reaches the specific number of times indicated by the specific information included in the received data, 
 wherein the number of times of limitation is the number of times that the radio communication apparatus of the communication partner limits reception of the data intermittently transmitted from the communication unit, 
 wherein it is determined whether a change condition to change the specific number of times is satisfied when the data is intermittently transmitted, and 
 wherein when it is determined that the change condition is satisfied, the specific information is changed into specific information indicating the specific number of times changed for a predetermined number, and data including the changed specific information is transmitted. 
 
     
     
       9. A master device configured to perform radio communication with a slave device, comprising:
 a communication unit configured to intermittently transmit, to the slave device, data including specific information indicating a specific number of times smaller than a number of times of limitation; and 
 a control unit configured to release limitation of reception of the data when a number of times that reception of the data intermittently transmitted from the communication unit is limited by the slave device reaches the specific number of times indicated by the specific information included in the received data, 
 wherein the number of times of limitation is the number of times that the slave device limits reception of the data intermittently transmitted from the communication unit, 
 wherein the control unit determines whether a change condition to change the specific number of times is satisfied when the data is intermittently transmitted, and 
 wherein when it is determined that the change condition is satisfied, the specific information is changed into specific information indicating the specific number of times changed for a predetermined number, and the communication unit transmits data including the changed specific information.